Rack-and-pinion device.



MINER.

RACK AND PiNlON DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-H. 1914.

Patent-ed Apr. 4, 1916.

Page. 2

wz'ineaaes FREDERICK C. KAINER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

'BAGK-AND-PINIUN DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed September 11, 1914. Serial No. 861,241.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK C. KAINER, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State ofIllinois, have in rented certain new and useful Improvements inRack-and- Pinio-n Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved form ofgearing and in particular toprovide a gearing or mechanical movementarranged for the separate or simultaneous transmission of angular andlineal movements to facilitate the operation ofdevices requiring acompound movement in their operation, and the invention is adapted for awide variety of uses, such as the sighting of searchlights, guns,telescopes, etc.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of theimproved device 'with connections for operating a Searchlight, thelatter being shown on a reduced scale. Fig. 2 is acfragmentary sectionalview taken on a horizontal plane through the gear 18.

The device comprises a frame 1 which is shown horizontally disposed inthe drawing and is provided with bearings 3 and 1 in which a rod 5 isslidably and rotatably mounted. The rod 5 carries fast a comparativelywide gear or fluted cylinder 6. A rack 7 in the form of a yoke is alsocarried by shaft 5 in its longitudinal movement, but the shaft mayrotate to the rack 7 as it engages therewith at the arms 8 and 9 by thehubs 10 and 11 of gear 6 and passes through holes 12 in arms Sand 9 tobe freely rotatable therein.

The rack 7 is guided in its movement in a way 13 cut transversely on theinner face of a standard 14 extending vertically from the base offrame 1. A vertically disposed shaft 15 is slidably and rotatablymounted in a boss 16 of the frame and an arm 17 of upright 14. The shaft15 carries fast a gear or cylindrical rack 18 having a comparativelywide face, but differing from ordinary spur gears in that its teeth arearranged in crossing annular and longitudinal rows and therefore it mayat the same time serve both as a spur gear and a rack.

with respect 1 Gear 18 is located between andmeshes with both the teethon gear 6 and the teeth of rack 7.

' Longitudinal movement of shaft 5 through the rack 7 carried therebycauses rotation of gear 18 and its shaft 15, whereas rotation of shaft 5through the gear 6 carr1ed thereon, by engagement with teeth on gear 18,causesthe gear 18 and the shaft 15 to move lengthwise in the manner of arack. In its longitudinal movement, gear 18 slides along the verticalteeth on rack 7, and when gear 18 is rotated by rack 7, its teeth slidewith respect to the teeth on gear 6. The rotational and lineal movementsof gear 18 may occur separately or simultaneously.

The upright 14 is provided with a flange or stop 19 extending lengthwisethereof for engagement with an arm 20 secured to shaft 15 in order tolimit the rotation of shaft 15 in either direction in any longitudinalposition thereof when the device is used in the connection shown in thedrawing. An example of a device operated by the gearing is a searchlightshown rotatably mounted on a base 21, the lamp 22 being pivotallycarried in the usual manner by a rotatable frame 23, supporting at itscenter a lever 24 having a link connection 25 with the rear of the lamp.Thus the lamp may be adjusted vertically on its pivots 26 by alongitudinal movement of shaft 15 and be swung horizontally by turningsaid shaft on its axis. The rod 5 is shown in Fig. 1 as passing througha clamp 27 which is secured to a wall or bulk-head 28 shown by dottedlines. By means of this clamp the shaft 5 may be retained in any angularor longitudinal setting.

In operating the device, the rotation of shaft 15 is effected bylongitudinal movement of rod 5, in which case the gear 6 idly slidesbetween the annular rows of teeth on gear 18, while the rack 7 engagesthe longitudinal rows of teeth on gear 18, rotating the same and shaft15, thus adjusting the Searchlight horizontally around the axis of shaft15. By rotating shaft 5, gear 6 engages the annular rows of teeth ongear 18, shifting the latter as a rack in a longitudinal direction whileits teeth slide transversely across the face of rack 7. The shaft 5 mabe rotated and IBClPIOCflte-(l simultaneously to bring the Searchlightdirectly to the desired position, the gear being suitable fortransmitting such compound motion in that both a sliding and rollingmotion may take place either between the gear '6- and the gear 18, orthe gear 1' and rack 7. Thus this mechanism permits gear 18 to slidelongitudinally while it is rotating.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I'claim:-

1. A cylindrical gear and rack-member having crossing annular andlongitudinal rows of teeth on its face, means intermeshing therewith forsimultaneously imparting rotational and longitudinal motion to saidmember, and a device mounted'for universa l angular adjustment connectedfor ad justment with said member.

2. A cylindrical gear and rack member having crossing annular andlongitudinal rows of teeth on its face, toothed members arranged toengage the teeth of said cylindrical member for imparting rotational andlongitudinal motion thereto, and a device mounted-for universal angularadjustment connected for adjustment with said cylindrical member.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with acylindrical gear having angular and longitudinal rows of teeth, asupporting device for said gear permitting both longitudinal androtational movement thereof, a rack meshing with and extendingtransversely of said gear, and a gear or pinion having a comparativelywide face also meshing with said other gear and mounted to be movablewith said rack but rotatable independently thereof.

4; In a device of the'class described, the combination with acylindrical gear having annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, asupporting device for said gear permitting both longitudinal androtational movement thereof, a rack meshing with and extendingtransversely of said gear, and a Wide faced gear or pinion meshing withsaid gear on the opposite side from said rack and mounted to belongitudinally movable with said rack but rotatableindependentlythereof.

5. In a device of the class described, a suitable support, a shaftmounted to reciprocate and rotate in said support, a wide faced gearsecured to said shaft, a yoke can ried bv said shaft to movelongitudinally therewith but permit the independent rota ticn of theshaft, said yoke being provided. with rack teeth extending transverselyin the teeth on said gear and located opposite said gear, a gear betweensaid first mentioned gear and the rack and messing with both said gearand rack and having annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, and asupport for said last mentioned gear permitting rotationaland'longitudinal movements thereof. I

6. In a de'vlCe of the class described, a support, a pair of shaftsextending at right angles to each other and each mounted to rotate andreciprocate in said support, a gear carried by oneof said shafts andhaving annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, a wide faced gear and arack carried by the other of said shafts, said Wide faced gear and rackmeshing with said first mentioned gear at opposite sides of its face.

7. 1n a device of the class described, a. support, a pair of shaftsextending at right angles to each other and each mounted to rotate andreciprocate in said support, a,

gear carried by one of said shafts and having annular and longitudinalrows of teeth, a wide faced gear and a rack carried by the other of saidshafts, said wide faced gear and rack meshing with said first mentionedgear at opposite sides of'its face, said rack being wider than thespaces between the annular rows of teeth'on said first mentioned gear.

8. In a device of the class described, a support, a pair of shaftsextending at right angles to each other and each mounted to rotate andreciprocate in said support, a gear carried by one of said shafts andhaving annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, a wide faced gear and arack-carried by the other of said shafts, said wide faced gear and rackmeshing with said first mentioned gear at opposite sides of its face,and means for limiting the rotation of the gear having the annular andlongitudinal rows of teeth.

9. In a device of the class described, a support, a pair of shaftsextending at right angles to each other and each' mounted to rotate andreciprocate in said support, a

' gear carried by one of said shafts and having annular and longitudinalrows of teeth, a wide faced gear and a rack carried by the other of saidshafts, said wide faced gear and rack meshing with said first mentionedgear at opposite sides of its face, and means for limiting the rotationof the gear having the annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, saidmeans comprising a shoulder on said support and an. arm rigid with saidgear for the purpose of limiting the rotation of the gear in any of itslongitudinal positions.

10. In a device of the class described, a support. a pair of shaftsextending atright angles to each. other and each mounted to rotate andreciprocate in said support, a gear carried by one of said shafts andhaving annular and longitudinal rows of teeth, a. wide faced gear and arack carried by the other of said shafts. said wide faced gear and rackmeshing with said first mentioned gear at opposite sides of its face,and a fixed member, and a device mounted for universal 10 clamp-forengaging and locking one of said angular adjustment connected foradjustshafts in any position thereof. ment with said member.

11. A machine element for receiving or Signed at Chicago this 8th day ofSeptransmitting compound motions, comprising tember 1914.

a member'hav'ing a surface provided with FREDERICK C. KAINER. crossedrows of gear teeth, means intermesh- Witnesses: ing therewith forsimultaneously imparting EUGENE A. RUMMLER,

rotational and longitudinal motion to said M. IRENE Hu'rcmnos.

